@Bonzo Banana
Interested in your remarks here Bonzo.
I have both the Argos folder and a standard 3 speed Brompton that I have owned for about 12 years.
While I really like my little Argos bike and have ridden it now just over 230 miles grinning all the way - it is certainly no Brompton - no where near. 11.5Kg compared to 25.8kg for one thing. The battery and motor do not weigh 14kg for sure. The frame on the Argos has to be made from massively thick steel considering the stresses it is carrying. I have not tested but I expect the wheel rims are steel.
It is what it is and I am loving it for all its niggles (like the seat post slowly sinking over about 20 miles, no mater how tight I make the pinch bolt) but it is unashamedly a cheaply made product rather than one made with skill and care in London - largely by hand.
Now that I have found my Park Tool spoke key, when I get back to Northumberland tomorrow, I will be trying to true my back wheel on the Argos. I have never ever had to touch the spokes on the Brompton. I have a 3mm wiggle on the Argos back wheel now, which is annoying me. Should be easy enough to get rid of, now I have the key. A couple of weeks ago, while riding along a narrow lane with the sun directly in my eyes, and a van following me, I ran over a sleeping policeman with full weight on the saddle at about 13 miles an hour. Nearly threw me off the bike. Maybe that is how the wiggle got into the wheel, or maybe the workmanship at the factory was less than stellar... Who knows..... I will soon have it fixed.
EDIT:
I think you are right about the gentle treatment the battery gets on the Argos. 8 amps on probably a 3p battery is never going to send the battery into melt down. I'm not sure that running that battery at 15 amps peak would be such a great idea. At 12 and a half stone, I really notice the motor running out of puff on a steep hill. I just drop the gears and spin my legs and we eventually get up. I don't mind that. If it doesn't kill me it will do me good, even if I am gasping for breath. When I say steep hills - I am talking about 18% and 20% - and quite long. Around here I often climb hundreds of vertical feet. If worst comes to worst, it has a 'walk mode' which works ok and I can walk.